ssexton Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 Well, it's that time of year, and I'm determined to learn to cook healthier for my family. I cook mostly from scratch now, but the meals I cook aren't terribly healthy (too high in fat, not enough veggies, etc.) I'd love some recommendations for cookbooks that will help me out. I really need to learn how to cook vegetables. We didn't eat them often at home when I was growing up (my dad wouldn't eat them.) I need help moving beyond canned peas, green beans and corn. :blush: My family is mildly picky, but I think we can overcome that just by retraining all of our taste buds. I've been looking at Saving Dinner by Leanne Ely. Anyone like it? Other recommendations? Thanks for the help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat in black Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 Whole Foods for the Whole Family. It's the La Leche League cookbook. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OregonNative Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 The Eat Clean Diet-this book is not for "dieting", but rather a way of eating. The recipes are FABULOUS and taste incredible. American Wholefoods Cuisine A Whole Food Holiday (scroll to bottom). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 Since you want to add more vegetables you might consider some vegetarian cookbooks. We are not fully vegetarians, but we eat lots of meatless meals. I would recommend "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" by Mark Bittman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssexton Posted December 28, 2010 Author Share Posted December 28, 2010 Thanks so much for the recommendations! I've requested several of them from the library. Anyone else? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In the Rain Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 :bigear: I'm always up for healthy cookbooks. World's Healthiest Foods taught me simple, healthy ways to prepare veggies. It isn't an exciting cookbook though. I often check vegetarian and vegan cookbooks out of the library- looking for veggie ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frontier Mom Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 Maybe not what you want to hear, but I just like to experiment with my veggies. One of our favorites is frozen mixed veggies with carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. I put water and a little soy sauce in the bottom pan and place the veggies in the steamer part. Cook until done but not mushy. Yummy and easy!! Saving Dinner is a great book. I also like Allrecipes site. You can search for about anything! I've been using it tons lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meggie Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 I recently read Food Matters and Ellie Krieger's So Easy. She also has another one called The Food You Crave, but I haven't read it. They had some good ideas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chadzwife Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon & Mary Enig. Watch out, it'll blow your mind! Sue Gregg's cookbooks were revised to go along with NT recommendations also. They are a great set of cookbooks to have btw too. WAPF.org (featuring Fallon & other prominent food ppl) is a great website to read articles and stuff and blow what little will be left of your mind :w00t: Diana Schwarzbein's books go along nicely with the NT thinking. There are local WAPF groups all over the country also. They also sponsor a legal group (think HSLDA for dairymen) that keeps raw milk legal and available for humans. This is ancient, real food. Fit for humans. It's great! It's so "subversive"...it must be right LOL. Food that is ILLEGAL; I mean C'mon, Big Government, geesh. A must read book for any one who eats though is Micheal Pollan's The Ominvore's Dilemma and the dvd that goes with it, The Botany of Desire. Riveting, thought-provoking and action-producing. Which will make you want to read Pastured Poultry Profits and Salad Bar Beef by Joel Salatin and it just goes on from there...he's written quite a few books. And it all goes back full circle to NT. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom-ninja. Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 I love Saving Dinner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssexton Posted December 28, 2010 Author Share Posted December 28, 2010 Thanks everyone!! I've requested a bunch from the library! Thanks for reminding me about allrecipes, Frontier Mom--love that site! Nourishing Traditions has quite a wait list at our library. Must be good! May need to consider buying it. Sounds like it will take me on quite an adventure, chadzwife! I have a lot to learn, I really do. Thanks for all your help, everyone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soror Posted December 28, 2010 Share Posted December 28, 2010 I wanted to second or third the rec for the Whole Foods for the Whole Family and Saving Dinner. Whole Foods will get you started with basic meals you likely eat but how to cook it from scratch and incorporate more whole foods/real foods into your diet. Saving Dinner has some shortcuts but focuses a lot on whole foods but on really easy and quick recipes. I think it would likely be the best for starting out. Nourishing Traditions has a lot of info on why you should eat whole, real foods, which I agree with, personally. However, as a recipe book it is notoriously bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OregonNative Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon & Mary Enig. :iagree: I could not remember the name of the book when I initially posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Which Saving Dinner cookbooks are you referring to? I see that the author has quite a few. I would like to invest in just one....so would love recommendations on which. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jg_puppy Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I have looked at the book Whole Foods for the Whole Family several times. I have not bought it because I have no idea what type of recipes are in the book. I noticed several people have recommended that book. Is there a place where I could find a sample recipe or at least the title to a few of the recipes? My family is very picky, but I would like to work towards changing that. Jan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 (edited) Start by doing this: Make a big salad and serve it before dinner, every night. By 'big', I mean that the servings should fill a soup bowl, not a soup cup. Have them eat the salad, drink a big glass of water, and wait 5 minutes before the other food is on the table. This is easy to arrange if you need to do something 'last minute-ish' to the hot food before serving it. And it will give their stomachs a chance to register fullness. You'll get further with that move than any other single thing. Your family will eat more veggies. They will be less hungry for meat and carbs and eat less of them. If you make the salad dressings with olive or canola oil, they will increase their healthy fats, and probably decrease their unhealthy ones. They will learn about all the different veggies that are good raw. Here are some good salads for this: Romaine lettuce with Caesar dressing Radiccio with olive oil, a small handful of walnut chunks, and a tiny bit of crumbled blue cheese Mixed greens with oil and vinegar dressing Spinach leaves with sliced, toasted almonds, goat or feta cheese, and raspberry or apricot nectar vinaigrettes Grated carrots with dill, fat free sour cream, and chopped garlic Arugula with balsamic vinaigrette Butter lettuce with olive oil and apple cider vinegar Tomato chunks in olive oil--this is especially good with a little chopped basil, and some mozzerella cheese. You can use whole, mixed, tiny tomatoes in the summer time--sweet 100's and yellow pear tomatoes are really, really good this way, and they look really festive. Don't use normal store tomatoes for this one. They are too mealy. Other ingredients to throw in as appropriate: Apple slices (thin) Mandarin orange segments Sliced mushrooms (do not used canned--too slimey) Sliced scallions Very finely chopped red onions or shallots Sliced radishes Sweet peppers, especially colored ones Sliced celery Fennel chunks or chopped fennel fronds Pear slices Slices of those persimmons that are ripe when they are still firm Avocado chunks--these make it more of a main dish kind of salad. Go easy on the cheese. Think of it as more a condiment than an ingredient. Cut it very finely so that a little goes a long way. Ditto for using very strong tasting cheeses. Edited January 9, 2011 by Carol in Cal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Learn to use herbs & spices. Truthfully all cookbooks tend to complicate meals. Then you spend more time cooking. Then "whole foods" becomes overwhelming and you go back to what you can do easily, kwim? Never underestimate simple meat and veggies. Meat sauted with onions and garlic and a little red pepper over rice is great. Beef roasted with onion and garlic and then added to kale in a crockpot with a little broth is darn good. I am SO not a natural cook. But learning how to use herbs & spices REALLY opened a lot for me. And when in doubt just add fresh ground pepper, a little sea salt, and a ton of garlic, lol. But above all, while cookbooks and complicated recipes are wonderful sometimes. Don't make cooking a chore for yourself. Whole foods are meant to be enjoyed for their simplicity too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 As I've said before, Nava Atlas's books are family friendly, and not frou-frou at all. She has all kinds of cookbooks. She also has a website. If you want so look the way of pressure cooking, Lorna Sass's books are the tops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlsdMama Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Nourishing Traditions has quite a wait list at our library. Must be good! May need to consider buying it. Sounds like it will take me on quite an adventure, chadzwife! I have a lot to learn, I really do. Thanks for all your help, everyone! Consider getting on that waiting list first. Nourishing Traditions is an absolutely FASCINATING book and will teach you a lot. But it is INSANELY overwhelming if you are just making the switch to Whole Foods! NT will leave you feeling a little helpless and a lot overwhelmed. Read NT, let it settle in, switch to whole foods, re-read NT, pick up a few things, practice, practice, pick it up, read it again. I can almost promise 1/2 of those folks on the list aren't reading it for the first time, lol. Also, I don't know where you stand on grains, but NT does have a lot of emphasis on grains. Baby steps. Baby steps guarantee you make a LIFE LONG change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssexton Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 Consider getting on that waiting list first. Nourishing Traditions is an absolutely FASCINATING book and will teach you a lot. But it is INSANELY overwhelming if you are just making the switch to Whole Foods! NT will leave you feeling a little helpless and a lot overwhelmed. Read NT, let it settle in, switch to whole foods, re-read NT, pick up a few things, practice, practice, pick it up, read it again. I can almost promise 1/2 of those folks on the list aren't reading it for the first time, lol. Also, I don't know where you stand on grains, but NT does have a lot of emphasis on grains. Baby steps. Baby steps guarantee you make a LIFE LONG change. Thank you for this! It is a bit overwhelming! My grocery bill this week was twice what it normally is. I think I need to slow down just a bit. What I did this week: avoided high fructose corn syrup, bought whole grain tortillas and rolls, and (drumroll please!) I cooked kale for the first time. To the poster who recommended The World's Healthiest Foods, thank you! It held my hand through the whole process of preparing and storing it, and the results were good. My family actually ate it. My children weren't thrilled, but they managed without any complaints. I've checked Saving Dinner out of the library also, and it looks good. Not too big of a stretch for a newbie. I've just got to figure out a way to bring my grocery tab down a bit. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssexton Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 Learn to use herbs & spices. This too! One of the recipes I tried from Saving Dinner called for fresh cilantro. Oh my! It was so good, and I recognized it as the magic ingredient found in my favorite Mexican recipes. I know, hard to believe I'm just learning this at 41 years old, but better late than never! I also love lots of garlic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssexton Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 Which Saving Dinner cookbooks are you referring to? I see that the author has quite a few. I would like to invest in just one....so would love recommendations on which. Thanks. Jules, I'm using Saving Dinner: The Menus, Recipes, and Shopping Lists to Bring Your Family Back to the Table, by Deanne Ely. I've only used a couple of recipes from the book so far, but I like it! Mine is a library book, and I'm considering buying one of my own when I have to return it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotherGoose Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I love "Serving up the Harvest" by Andrea Chesman. Organized by season, and has some great basic recipes you can adapt to what you have around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.